The Africa Cup of Nations is one of the biggest international football tournaments on the planet. There were discussions to play the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in the summer, so it did not disrupt the European club season, with teams losing players who are selected to play for their country.
However, weather concerns for the summer months in Ivory Coast means the tournament is taking place in January and February, with players leaving their clubs.
Andre Onana has agreed to play two matches in the space of 24 hours, after an agreement between the player, the club and the national team 🤯🗓️ January 14 vs. Tottenham ⚪️🗓️ January 15 vs. Guinea 🇬🇳The goalkeeper will have a busy few days 😳 pic.twitter.com/PLe2HlTEzO— SPORTbible (@sportbible) January 4, 2024
Andre Onana has agreed to play two matches in the space of 24 hours, after an agreement between the player, the club and the national team 🤯🗓️ January 14 vs. Tottenham ⚪️🗓️ January 15 vs. Guinea 🇬🇳The goalkeeper will have a busy few days 😳 pic.twitter.com/PLe2HlTEzO
One man who has been picked by Cameroon to play in the Africa Cup of Nations is Andre Onana. The Manchester United goalkeeper had been out of favour with Cameroon because he was sent home from the 2022 World Cup following a dispute with manager Rigobert Song.
Onana announced his retirement from international football but has returned to the squad for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Usually, players will meet up with their teammates for the Africa Cup of Nations well in advance of the competition. This allows the team to work together on tactics and to play a friendly game before the start of the tournament, should they wish to do so.
However, Onana and Manchester United have come to an agreement to allow Onana to say with his club until the 14th of January, when they play Tottenham Hotspur at home in the Premier League.
Immediately following the final whistle, Onana will fly to Yamoussoukro in Ivory Coast to play for his country against Guinea on the 15th of January.
So, incredibly, Onana will play two matches in the space of 24 hours. The reason behind this decision is unknown but many onlookers believe it is because Onana is worried about losing his place in the Manchester United team.
The goalkeeper has made some high profile mistakes this season and could come under pressure for his place in the team if Altay Bayindir comes in and performs well.
Onana is not the first player to play two games in 24 hours and he follows in the footsteps of Mark Hughes. The former Wales striker managed to play two matches in the same day, one for Wales and the other for Bayern Munich.
Wales were playing away to Czechoslovakia in a European qualifier at 1pm and Bayern Munich were playing Borussia Monchengladbach at 7pm in the German cup. Hughes played the full 90 minutes for Wales, and still in his full kit, he was driven to the airport and caught a flight to Munich.
Arriving at the Olympic Stadium, Hughes changed into his Bayern Munich kit and, to the shock of the fans and the opposition, he came on in the second half.
Onana will not have as tight a turnaround as Hughes did on that day, but he is likely to play for the full 90 minutes for club and country in the space of 24 hours.
If we go back to the 1950’s some teams played two games in 24 hours, with Liverpool being an example when they played on Christmas Day and Boxing Day in 1957. However, in the modern era, it is rare to see a player represent both his club and country in 24 hours.